Bone filler packing container having function as mixing tray

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a packing container functioning as a mixing tray for powder type or granule type bone filler. The bone filler packing container of the present invention includes an inner casing, which has an opening, through which the bone filler is supplied into the inner casing, and contains the bone filler therein. The packing container further includes an outer casing, which surrounds the inner casing and has a lower bottom part that is configured such that the container may sit upright, and a sealing part, to which a paper seal for sealing the opening of the inner casing is adhered. In the present invention, after the packing container is opened, a surgeon can immediately use the packing container as a mixing tray, inside which blood or marrow that is extracted from a patient is mixed with bone filler that is located in the packing container, before applying the bone filler mixed with blood or marrow to an affected portion of a patient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to packing containers functioning as mixing trays for powder type or granule type bone filler and, more particularly, to a bone filler packing container, which functions as a mixing tray, in which, after the packing container containing bone filler therein is opened by a surgeon at a surgical site, blood or marrow, which is extracted from a patient, is directly mixed with the bone filler to a degree appropriate for applying the bone filler mixed with blood or marrow to an affected portion of the patient.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, powder type or granule type bone filler, which is widely used in fields such as orthopedics, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, dental surgery, etc., is applied to affected portions of patients, after the bone filler is mixed with blood or marrow, which is extracted from patients, to increase the compatibility between the bone filler and the patients and enable the bone filler to have a viscosity appropriate to conduct surgery.

In conventional arts, as shown in FIGS. 1A through 1C, bone filler 16 is packed in a paper pouch 10, which is made of a sheet of paper coated with a plastic film and is sealed by thermo-welding the perimeter thereof, an aluminum pouch 12, which is sealed on the perimeter thereof, or a glass ampule 14, which is sealed with a separate lid.

However, in the conventional arts, to use the bone filler 16, which is packed by the pouch 10 or 12 or the ampule 14, as shown in FIG. 2, a separate mixing bowl 18, which needs be sterilized, is required.

In other words, a surgeon opens the pouch 10 or 12 or the ampule 14, which contains the bone filler 16, and pours the bone filler 16 into the mixing bowl 10, which is separately prepared. Thereafter, the surgeon mixes blood or marrow, which is extracted from a patient, with the bone filler 16 and applies the mixture to an affected portion of the patient.

This operation of mixing the hone filler 16 with blood or marrow and applying the mixture to the affected portion of the patient inconveniences the surgeon.

Furthermore, when the bone filler 16 is poured into the mixing bowl 18 after the pouch 10 or 12 or the ampule 14 is opened, some of the bone filler 16, which is relatively expensive, may be lost. In addition, to use all the bone filler 16 contained in the pouch 10 or 12 or the ampule 14, without remnants, the pouch 10 or 12 or the ampule 14 must be shaken when pouring the bone filler 16 into the mixing bowl 18, thus inconveniencing the surgeon.

Moreover, typically, the mixing bowl 18 has a planar bottom 20 such that the bowl 18 sits upright. However, because the area of the bottom 20 of the mixing bowl 18 is smaller than that of an opening 22 of the mixing bowl 18, the stability thereof is poor. Thus, there is a disadvantage in that the surgeon must very carefully handle the mixing bowl 18 to prevent the bone filler 16 from being spilled from the mixing bowl 18.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bone filler packing container, which has a basic function of a packing container for bone filler and also functions as a mixing tray, by means of which, after the packing container containing bone filler is opened by a surgeon at a surgical site, blood or marrow that is extracted from a patient is directly mixed with the bone filler.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a bone filler packing container having a function as a mixing tray, the packing container comprising a plastic container body, comprising: an inner casing having an opening, through which a powder type or granule type bone filler is supplied into the inner casing, and a hemispheric lower section for containing the bone filler therein, the hemispheric lower section being convex downwards; an outer casing surrounding the inner casing, the outer casing having a lower part extending below the hemispheric lower section of the inner casing allowing container body to be placed upright; and a sealing part connecting the opening of the inner casing to an upper end of the outer casing, with a paper seal adhered to the sealing part, the paper seal sealing the opening of the inner casing.

Preferably, at least one opening guide part may be formed in the sealing part. The opening guide part may comprise a depression for forming a non-adhered portion of the paper seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a partially broken front view of a conventional paper pouch;

FIG. 1B is a partially broken front view of a conventional aluminum pouch;

FIG. 1C is a partially broken front view of a conventional ampule;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional mixing bowl;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a packing container, which is sealed with a paper seal., according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the packing container, which is in a state of being opened according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the packing container, from which the paper seal has been completely removed according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a packing container, which is sealed with a paper seal, according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the packing container, which is in a state of being opened. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the packing container, from which the paper seal is completely removed.

The packing container according to the present invention is made of a plastic such as polypropylene or polyester. As shown in FIGS. 3 through 6, the packing container includes an inner casing 28. The inner casing 28 has an opening 24, through which powder or granule type bone filler 16 is inserted into the inner casing 28, and a hemispheric lower section 26, which is convex downwards and contains the bone filler 16 therein.

The packing container further includes an outer casing 32, which surrounds the inner casing 28 and has a lower part 30, which extends below the hemispheric lower section 26 of the inner casing 28 and serves to allow the packing container to be placed in an upright position.

The packing container further includes a sealing part 36, which connects the opening 24 of the inner casing 28 to the upper end of the outer casing 32. The paper seal 34 for sealing the opening 24 is adhered to the surface of the sealing part 36.

In the present invention, the paper seal 34 is made of a hot melting type of plastic sheet, the lower surface of which is thermo-welded to the surface of the sealing part 36.

Preferably, when necessary, to easily remove the paper seal 34, which is thermo-welded to the surface of the sealing part 36, at least one opening guide part 38, which is a depression that does not adhere to the paper seal 34, is formed at a predetermined position in the sealing part 36, thus enabling a user to easily pull a non-adhered portion 40 of the paper seal 34 corresponding to the opening guide part 38.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the packing container of the present invention be transparent such that the user can easily observe the bone filler 16, which is contained in the packing container sealed with the paper seal 34, with the naked eyes.

In the drawings, although the outer casing 32 has been illustrated as having a rectangular box shape and the paper seal 36 has been illustrated as having a square planar shape, the outer casing 32 and the paper seal 36 may respectively have a cylindrical shape and a circular planar shape, as necessary.

In the packing container according to the present invention having the above-mentioned construction, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the bone filler 16 is located in the hemispheric lower section 26 of the inner casing 28, and the opening 24 is thereafter sealed by thermo-welding the paper seal 34 to the sealing part 36.

When it is desired to use the bone filler 16, a surgeon holds the outer casing 32 using his/her one hand and holds and pulls the non-adhered portion 40 of the paper seal 34 using the other hand, thus removing the paper seal 34 from the packing container to open the opening 24, as shown in FIG. 6. Subsequently, blood or marrow that is extracted from a patient is supplied through the opening 24 into the hemispheric lower section 26 of the inner casing 28 and is mixed with the bone filler that is located in the hemispheric lower section 26. Thereafter, the surgeon applies the bone filler 16 mixed with the blood or marrow to an affected portion of the patient.

As such, the hemispheric lower section 26 of the inner casing 28 provides a space, in which the bone filler 16 is contained and packed, and, in addition, serves as a mixing tray, in which the bone filler 16 is mixed with blood or marrow that is extracted from the patient.

Furthermore, the outer casing 32, which has the lower part 30 which extends below the hemispheric lower section 26 of the inner casing 28, serves to allow the packing container to be placed stably upright and protect the inner casing 28, containing the bone filler 16 therein, from being damaged.

In addition, the sealing part 36, which connects the inner casing 28 to the outer casing 32, and to which the paper seal 34 is adhered, serves to increase the area, in which the paper seal 34 is adhered to the packing container, thus sealing the opening 24 of the inner casing 28 more reliably.

As described above, a packing container according to the present invention is constructed such that, after the packing container is opened, a surgeon can immediately use the packing container as a mixing tray, inside which blood or marrow that is extracted from a patient may be mixed with bone filler that is located in the packing container, before applying the bone filler mixed with blood or marrow to an affected portion of the patient. Therefore, the present invention can solve a conventional problem, in which a packing container and a mixing bowl are separately required, thus becoming more convenient for the surgeon.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 

1. A bone filler packing container having a function as a mixing tray, the packing container comprising a plastic container body, comprising: an inner casing having an opening, through which a powder type or granule type bone filler is supplied into the inner casing, and a hemispheric lower section for containing the bone filler therein, the hemispheric lower section being convex downwards; an outer casing surrounding the inner casing, the outer casing having a lower part extending below the hemispheric lower section of the inner casing allowing container body to be placed upright; and a sealing part connecting the opening of the inner casing to an upper end of the outer casing, with a paper seal adhered to the sealing part, the paper seal sealing the opening of the inner casing.
 2. The bone filler packing container as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one opening guide part is formed in the sealing part, the opening guide part comprising a depression for forming a non-adhered portion of the paper seal. 